The shout was truly hoarse and desperate, allowing Minamoto Tamako standing outside the door to hear it clearly.

She was startled and dared not knock and provoke the criminal, instead she shouted loudly to persuade: "Sir, please calm down! I've come to mediate! Please stay calm and don't do anything you'll regret!"

After speaking, Minamoto Tamako ran frantically to the end of the rectangular hallway, sprinted to the stairway, climbed out of the stairway window, and edged towards the Kuroda Family's room along the window ledge.

It sounded a bit thrilling, but actually the Kuroda Family was on the second floor. Japanese floors are famously low, only a little over two meters high… Falling from a two-meter-high window at most would break a leg.

Minamoto Tamako placed her hands on the outer edge of the window and quietly poked her head in to observe the situation inside.

The old-style Sugamo Apartment usually didn't have a living room; from the window, one could directly see the bedroom. At this moment, the couple was arguing, their shouts and curses coming out of the window, clearly audible to Minamoto Tamako:

"If you keep this up, don't blame me! I'll kill you too!"

"Come on! You foul hag! Let's see who kills whom! Believe it or not, I'll stab you!"

Through the glass window, Minamoto Tamako saw the couple each holding a kitchen knife, two meters apart, brandishing at each other to intimidate.

"Stop!!"

Officer Tamako shouted sternly, opened the window, and climbed in.

The Kuroda couple saw this and unanimously pointed their knives at Minamoto Tamako, shouting in unison: "Don't come here!"

Minamoto Tamako thought it lucky she had brought her police gun. She pulled out her service pistol, took up a standard aiming stance, and following the arrest procedure shouted: "Police! Drop your weapons immediately!"

Seeing she meant business, the Kuroda couple exchanged glances for a moment and then released their grip, letting the two fruit knives clatter to the floor.

Minamoto Tamako quickly called the nearest Police Station, dispatching two patrol police to arrest them. She stayed to calm the emotions of the two suspects.

Kuroda Kotaro seemed deflated, no longer arrogant as before, turning into a seemingly obsequious middle-aged man, bending and whispering to Minamoto Tamako: "Is detention really necessary? It was just an argument… I have to work tomorrow… Can you be lenient…?"

"No way!" Minamoto Tamako sternly refused.

It was clearly an 'ongoing crime' situation; Kuroda Kotaro was involved in an "attempted deliberate harm," and certainly couldn't be let off easily.

If it were ignored, who knows what heinous acts Kuroda Kotaro might commit! You know, Japan has plenty of wife-killing cases!

Yakai Mutsumi clapped her hands in delight and loudly said: "Exactly! That's how it should be!"

But Minamoto Tamako didn't let her off either, saying: "We can't hastily determine Mr. Kuroda as the wrongdoer. If Miss Mutsumi provoked this, it could be considered mutual assault or provocation."

Yakai Mutsumi's head drooped instantly, remaining silent.

Soon, two patrol police arrived at the scene and handcuffed the Kuroda couple. The two followed obediently and returned to the Police Station, sitting in the office area for Officer Tamako to mediate.

Minamoto Tamako sat between them, holding a notebook, and first questioned the complainant: "Miss Mutsumi, can you tell me what happened just now? Why did you call the police?"

Kuroda Kotaro interrupted and said: "This rotten woman gambled away my money again! Lost it all in one go!"

His thin stature contrasted with his loud voice, giving off a furious momentum of not letting the guilty off.

Yakai Mutsumi's figure was opposite to her husband's; her belly had three layers of fat, her chin had two layers, speaking in a soft voice, sounding like a cute girl: "That's because you hit me! I couldn't take it, so I took the money and played pachinko!"

Minamoto Tamako quickly raised both hands, trying to persuade: "Alright, alright! Don't argue anymore!"

No one paid attention to her, as Kuroda Kotaro and Yakai Mutsumi argued fiercer, their spit evenly splattering on Minamoto Tamako's cheeks on either side, making her uncomfortable being stuck in the middle.

The bickering continued for over ten minutes, and Minamoto Tamako finally pieced together the events, noting them in her notebook.

There wasn't much to say really; Yakai Mutsumi had taken the living expenses and gambled them away on pachinko, losing it all, bringing the couple's conflict to its peak, causing the altercation.

The crux of their argument lay in the "motive for gambling."

Yakai Mutsumi insisted she was a victim of domestic violence and gambled to retaliate against her husband;

While Kuroda Kotaro insisted his wife gambled first, he worked tirelessly outside, and the money he earned was all gambled away by his wife, prompting his uncontrollable rage – it was entirely his wife's fault!

Their dispute remained unresolved, which could also become the focus of the defense if taken to court.

The patrol police advised on the side, urging husband Kuroda Kotaro to be more generous, and persuading wife Yakai Mutsumi to admit her mistake and apologize, promising never to gamble again… However, neither of them agreed, even pointing their handcuffed fingers at each other, cursing.

Minamoto Tamako thought no wonder the patrol police couldn't mediate successfully; it was all talk without understanding the core of the issue!

She felt it necessary to find out who was truly at fault in this matter; only by sorting out the black and white could better negotiations proceed.

To this end, Minamoto Tamako washed her face and returned to further inquire: "Mr. Kuroda, you said your wife gambled first, causing your fury… When did you first discover your wife gambled?"

Kuroda Kotaro was taken aback, evidently not expecting the police to delve into this matter. He tilted his head mulling for a moment, his voice lowering several tones, speaking rather uncertainly: "This… I can't remember clearly… She's had a gambling habit for a long time."

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